


Of Snakes and Lions

by Relvich



Series: The Blue 'Verse [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, HOORAY, M/M, Parselmouth Harry Potter, Pets, Snakes, buying a pet, i did it, more fluff!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 09:14:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9116929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Relvich/pseuds/Relvich
Summary: He shouldn't be as surprised as he is when Harry started to insist upon a pet snake.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BluepPenguin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BluepPenguin/gifts).



Draco’s not exactly sure _why_ he’s so surprised when Harry randomly woke up one morning wanting for a pet snake. He surely didn’t _forget_ that his boyfriend was a Parselmouth. No, he remembers quite clearly the ‘Serpensortia Incident’ where he looked on in terror, sure that Saint Potter was going to sic the great serpent on _him,_ the ultimate backfire.

And on the opposite side of that spectrum.

_“Apparently the Slytherin dorms open to Parseltongue, did you know?_

 He _definitely_ remembers many, many sleepless nights in the Slytherin dormitories, eighth year— laughing, reminiscing, ranting, talking, and sometimes just sitting in companionable silence. And other times… well, other times, _other things._ All in all, memorable experiences, the lot of it.

So it’s not like Malfoy forgot that Harry could speak the snake’s language. But it wasn’t really a skill that he went around flaunting, either.

“A snake? Really, Potter? Do they even allow those at Hogwarts?”

“Well, I’m not exactly a student now am I? Also, there aren’t many people that can claim they speak to their pet if something _were_ to go wrong. I’m sure Minerva would be fine.”

“I just— why now? I mean— we’ve been dating for years, and this is the first _I’ve_ heard of it.”

Harry’s next response was obscured by mumbling.

“Harry.”

“I said I miss it, okay? I miss my old snake. I miss Hedwig. I miss it.”

After a flinch at the mention of Harry’s beloved late owl, he realizes there was some information there that he wasn’t aware of before.

“Wait. You had a snake?” he envisioned the irony of that for a second: Harry, the old ‘Gryffindor Golden Boy’ Harry, with a serpent hidden somewhere up in the Gryffindor commons. A snake in the Lion’s Den.

He wondered how Ron would’ve reacted to _that._ Snickering, he resolved to ask him at work tomorrow.

“Done fantasizing over there, o mighty dragon?” Harry was smiling, but it was a tired quirk of the lips, nothing at all like his usual lopsided grin, so he snapped out of his thoughts in an instant.

“I’m sorry love. Please go on.”

“Well. She wasn’t exactly _my_ snake. She was just a common garden snake. I talked to her on the summer hols.”

Oh. _Oh._

Harry rarely talked about his childhood outside Hogwarts, but he knew enough.

(Enough to make himself swear that if he ever ran into his boyfriend’s… _family,_ that he would _murder them_ for making him fight not one but _two_ wars in his lifetime. But that didn’t matter at the moment.)

Without saying a word, the blonde wrapped his arms around Harry.

“What kind of snake were you thinking?”

Potter’s mouth broke into the grin that Draco loved so much, jumping in his excitement (nearly head-butting Draco in the process, but oh well.) Wriggling out of Drake’s hold, he ran to the kitchen. When he came back, there was an Emporium catalogue clutched in his hands.

“So, there are these ones, which you could use the shed skin for potions and things… and…”

Much of this chatter was rushed and disjointed in its rapidness, and Malfoy was _sure_ that some of it was in Parseltongue, but he didn’t care. He was perfectly contented to watch Harry full of life and joy, with a certain childlike wonder in his forest green eyes that Draco thought he’d lost in the war. So he stood off to the side, vowing to try and help Harry reach that level of happiness whenever he could, and to _destroy_ anything that tried to rip it away.

-

The next day, the duo made the trip to Diagon Alley. It was a weekday, but Harry was already off work for the summer, and as Ron was Draco’s partner, convincing the redhead to cover for him for a couple of hours was rather easy. With a slight teasing jab from the Weasley, (Oi, you’re dating a snake, now you’re getting one as a pet? Better be careful there, mate, you’re aiming to turn into one!) they were off.

Harry had finally decided on a Ball Python. There was one in the Emporium with magical heritage, so it was not only a constrictor, it was also venomous. (Runespoor venom, too— that was bloody expensive in the Potions market, nowadays, and now Draco would have a never-ending supply at home? Merlin, they should’ve done this before.)

There were whispers when they walked into the Emporium, but the two were quite used to those by now. They quickly rushed to the front desk, explaining that _yes, we’re the Potter order— yes, we ordered a snake— no, we do_ not _want to see your collection of snowy owls, thanks—_

Harried, they quickly paid. _(“Twenty-three galleons, this one, but for you, Mister Potter, only thirteen!” “I’ll just pay full price, thanks for your consideration.”)_ They couldn’t stop the shopkeeper from giving them all of the necessary equipment for free, however, so they walked out only having paid twenty-three galleons for an eighty-one galleon purchase.

“I _so_ wish they wouldn’t do that.”

“I imagine they’re sucking up. To you, for saving their arses, and to me by being nice to you. That way if I find out they’re doing any sales that are less than… legal, I’d maybe go easy on them.”

“But don’t they realize? I don’t care, and you wouldn’t.”

“They haven’t yet. Let’s just get out of here.” 

Hurriedly, they stepped into the Leaky Cauldron’s fireplace, calling the name of their summer flat.

-

“…What’s he saying?”

The Runespoor-Ball Python mix had been a part of their little family for a couple of days, now. They had the tank and such set up in their bedroom, but they let him out pretty much whenever he wished it, which was often. Because of this, Harry put up permanent warming charms on all of the floors halfway through the first day. That, and a single easy chair in the living space that the snake had claimed as his own.

Needless to say, the snake was going to live a pampered life. Draco could already feel it.

Harry and the snake had hit it off very nicely, and had been chatting nonstop since they had brought the snake home. At the moment, they were all sitting on the living room couch, serpent hanging loosely off of Harry’s shoulders.

“Oh, he’s just remarking on how he thinks he’s going to enjoy living here.” Drake snorted.

“I should hope so, after all you’ve done to spoil him thus far.”

Harry just hummed, eyes closed. He was basking in the sunlight coming in from the window across, and Draco very suddenly thought of Ron’s comment just before buying the snake.

“What are you going to name him?” he blurted, attempting to hold back the chuckles.

They had agreed that Harry would name the snake, but he had insisted that he couldn’t do it until the snake trusted them enough. It was a point of pride, for a serpent, he had said.

Harry blinked. He turned to the snake, and after a rapid hissed conversation, he beamed.

“I think I’ll name him… Leo.” An astonished laugh from Draco, and then—

“You’re ridiculous”

“But you love me.”

“Mm, this is true.” Drake pressed a kiss to his lips, then.

“Love you.”

“And I, you, you dork.”

Somewhere in between them, a snake called Leo hissed ~~screamed~~ for them to _get a room,_ causing Harry to burst into giggles that he never _did_ explain to one (very) confused Draco Malfoy.

**Author's Note:**

> HAHA I DID FLUFF  
> sneks are cool


End file.
